Houston & Hawkes offer modern catering and personal service

Post-Covid, with the reopening of offices and workplaces and with new team member David Steel, who came on board with the duo in February 2020 as director of food, more contracts have been added. These include 78 St James's Street, a multi-tenanted building with two F&B outlets serving up to 800 people, and mobile technology business Three in Green Park in Reading.

So what's driving these contract wins? Houston says: "It's debatable but it's been almost 20 years since a new [contract catering] company has launched, and immediately clients think that's quite bold, so maybe they want to see what we're all about."

Hawkes says the business will be the first of a new generation. "We sit just under what people call the small independents who have moved up and that's a good place for us to be. That makes us interesting for consultants and clients, I guess. I suppose people are watching us to see if we will fail or succeed, questioning what our focus will be and if we survive Covid.

"For us, staying front of mind is simple. It's about putting the client first and focusing on people. We've got such an amazing team and we've created a group of people who care about the same things we do. "I hope there will be more start-ups because the industry and the clients need that choice. It creates a dynamic environment and drives change and means that people look at things differently. For example, our systems are brand new and future-proof; they incorporate stock counting, allergen monitoring and purchasing and they all talk to each other."

Houston adds that because they started with a blank sheet of paper, they've been able to set their own parameters. "Take our fleet of electric cars, for instance. We are the first UK contract caterer to be 100% electric and we will continue to do that as we grow. We are Living Wage Foundation-accredited too, because we started out this way, and we didn't have to change contracts."

Referrals for contract catering

Past relationships have influenced the new business. Houston says: "We've had a lot of referral business in the last year, and it's been a natural development. We won here [at Rathbones] when we didn't even have an operational contract. We took the management team from Rathbones to another client's site where we were mobilising the following month, and although it was slightly unorthodox, they allowed us to host them and helped us out.

"When we started out, I think people saw a couple of guys who had left their jobs and put a lot on the line and they wanted to help us. And that was why, certainly in the case of the first six or seven wins, we had a big advantage," adds Houston.

Steel says: "Before joining Houston & Hawkes I was always the second in command, such as when I was at Lexington with Rob Kirby and at Bartlett Mitchell with Pete Redman, and I always wanted to be that person. Now I'm here, I want to be nurturing my next person. I want them to be supported. Lexington was great at putting the right people in the right jobs and I learned from that, and now I want our people to be the headlines."

Houston adds that it's unbelievable that they started out without a small team, with their very first jobs being set up by him, Hawkes and friendly suppliers and chefs who lent a hand. "This is the stuff we are the proudest of," he says, "the way we've developed, and that's because we've chosen the right people."

Back to the floor

Hawkes says that across the business's contracts, about 70% of the workforce has returned to their workplaces Tuesday to Thursday, with fewer staff in on Mondays and half of that number on Fridays. Houston says: "I'm really interested to see what happens in the longer term with client's real estate. There's no point filling your office Tuesday to Thursday, requiring car parks and infrastructure, and then it being dead Friday to Monday.

"We had a meeting with a potential client recently and they were being asked about weekends, let alone Mondays and Fridays. He was questioning why they were spending money on a central London office when it wasn't being used two days out of seven and now some are not being used four days out of seven."

In terms of recruiting the right people, Steel says finding chefs is all about existing contacts. "When looking for new people, we will always have someone in mind, and we have people contact us, too. Chefs want to work for a food company, and we haven't had many problems with recruitment in our kitchens so far. In fact, sometimes we take them on early to fill gaps further down the line."

Hawkes adds: "We've been lucky because we're small and it is relationship-based, and people want to work for us."

Houston continues: "Through Covid we had lots of approaches, but at that time we didn't have the right roles, so we started creating a pipeline of talent. Clients do the same. If you're in their mind, when they are looking for a new caterer, you might get that chance to pitch.

"In a weird way there have been lots of positives for us in terms of Covid. The continued consolidation of the market has helped in some ways."

The partners furloughed almost everyone during Covid as contracts were terminated and some redundancies were made. "That was really tough for us," says Hawkes, "but then when the contracts reopened and we were asked back, it was such an amazing feeling."

Houston reflects on the pair's initial discussions about setting up the business: "We met in the Vault at the Ned hotel and created a grid of our values and goals, which were similar, and then we said let's go to phase two – let's get the wives involved!"

Hawkes says that was the moment they "jumped off the cliff," and adds: "At that stage it was about having faith and for us that handshake was it. It was a big emotional decision, involving my wife, my kids and my security."

Houston says their strapline – ‘Deliver what we promise' – keeps them focused. Hawkes says: "We don't have a sales team for instance, the three of us are it, it's personal and we have a real emotional connection."

Sourcing and suppliers

Suppliers have been loyal and facilitated orders by whatever means necessary, despite the recent issues, these are relationships that Houston says they wouldn't necessarily have had with a big supplier, or if there wasn't a reciprocal relationship in terms of payment.

Their food philosophy is always to make something on site where possible using the best British seasonal ingredients. "Our sole purpose is to provide the best service for our customers and therefore we need the best products. We buy the best ingredients we can at the best possible price and empower the teams to produce the best food they can and to stay true to that," says Steel.

Steel forms the food strategy and he has continued his relationships with past suppliers. "I know them all personally otherwise I wouldn't use them. Like Danny Murphy at Yes Chef – it's not just his quality, it's the service he provides, and Lake District Farmers, which we use because the team trusts it in terms of animal welfare and quality," he adds.

The business has also partnered with a nutritionist, Celia Brooks, incorporating her knowledge about vegetarian and plant-based cookery, as well as tasking her with attracting female chefs into the business, supporting wellbeing and healthy eating objectives, increasing social interactions with monthly blogging and recipe sharing, and marketing activities.

"Our teams have already begun to benefit from the training and development workshops she does so brilliantly. She's so well connected in the London food scene and I'm excited that she will be bringing her experience and energy into our client locations through pop-ups, ‘wellbeing through food' workshops and plant-based cookery demonstrations," says Steel.

In terms of the future, Hawkes says the founders will continue to strive to provide a service they are proud of. "Because it's us – it's our name above the door, but more importantly, we've all benefitted from past opportunities which have enabled us to get to this point. We love what we do, we love working with the clients we have, and we want to create an environment where people are thriving.

"The team have all learned so much since launch," adds Houston. "Getting through Covid, new technology, Zoom, food boxes, delivery logistics, and re-learning how to present face-to-face again."

Houston says they have turned down multiple opportunities to stay true to their values. He adds: "There are always better caterers to do certain types of jobs. Be it culture, the fit, the financials, the skills, the geography. We will always recommend other businesses because the minute we start taking on everything, people just won't want to work with you – especially chefs."